Page 25 of A Real Good Bad Thing

“Want to know the secret?”

“I want to knoweverysecret,” he said.

“The secret ingredient is coconuts.”

“I’d have to say coconuts are the answer to a lot of life’s questions, it seems,” he said, then gazed around the laid-back eatery. “I can see why you like this place.”

“Love it. I had a light breakfast especially to save room.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were pretty sure I’d concede to your wishes.”

I batted my eyes, propping my chin on my hand. “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

He made the slightest grimace before his humor came back and he pretended as if he were thinking aloud. “Hmm, should I admit how true that is?”

“You don’t have to admit anything. I know your secret.”

He straightened, turned serious, his mouth in a flat, emotionless line. “You think so?”

I leaned over the table and lowered my voice, copying his solemnity. “By day, you may be a mild-mannered IT guy with a Taylor Swift ringtone. But by night, you’re a white-hat hacker for justice,” I said, having fun with his profession in what had becomeour way. We’d traded clues, like getting to know each other was a detective game. Jake’s eyes flashed with humor and he dropped his napkin onto the table in surrender. “I give up. You got me, Ms. Marple.”

I blew on my nails and rubbed them on my sundress.

“What about you?” he challenged. “Are your dive tours just a cover for your secret identity as an underwater treasure hunter?”

I laughed. “If I had gotten my wish as a kid, then yes. I used to dream of discovering Spanish doubloons at the bottom of the sea. My mom and stepdad used to bring us here a lot when my brother and I were growing up.”

“Oh?” he asked as he took a sip of his beer. “Do you still spend time on the island together?”

“Mom stays pretty close to home,” I replied, saving talk of my stepfather for another day. “But my brother visits out here sometimes. Now, though, we look for the real treasure—coral and marine life and tranquility,” I said, and he studied me with a look I couldn’t decipher. Maybe I sounded cheesy to him. “That probably sounds so hokey,” I said, a little embarrassed.

“No. It sounds really…nice,” he said, sounding genuine.

Still, nice was probably another word for “hokey.” Time to change the tone of the convo. “There are actually some great shipwrecks offshore here on the islands. Do you dive?”

He nodded. “I have.”

“Maybe you’d like to go with me to check out some sites?” I asked, hopeful. I liked his company. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with him.

“Maybe,” he said in anI doubt itvoice.

Well, that was disappointing. Had I read him wrong after all? After today’s kiss—not to mention last night by the beach—a date to go diving didn’t seem that boundary-challenging to me. I wasn’t suggesting we go look at china patterns.

But maybe he didn’t like diving. “I’ll take it off the list,” I said, trying to sound cheery, like his comment hadn’t thrown me.

“Do you lead a lot of dive tours here?” he asked.

“Some snorkeling, some diving. I’ve been a certified dive instructor since I was twenty-one,” I said, and maybe that would reassure him. I fiddled with my napkin as I shared more. “I love the islands. When my family came here, we’d go kiss stingrays. Someone told me it was good luck.”

“Your stepdad?”

The guess surprised me. I tilted my head, trying to figure him out. “What makes you say that?”

“You mentioned he and your mother brought you here,” he said, nonchalant. But almosttoononchalant. “So I figured it would be something you—your family—would do together.”

That was one explanation for his quick reply—and it was a logical answer but somehow sketchy at the same time. The vibe between us had shifted in the last few minutes, and I wasn’t sure why. But I didn’t think the issue was his like or dislike of diving anymore. Something wasoff. I wanted to move on and return to our easy banter, so I answered simply, “It’s fine. And you’re right. It was him. My stepfather.”

“Is your family still close?” he asked, then filled in the conversational blanks. “Since you traveled together when you were younger.”

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